Professor Voices » William Keylorhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices
Opinions and views by Boston University expertsTue, 08 Nov 2011 17:10:33 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.5N. Korean nuclear moratoriumhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/24/n-korean-nuclear-moratorium/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/24/n-korean-nuclear-moratorium/#commentsWed, 24 Aug 2011 15:02:37 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=2601During a summit meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il announced that his country is ready to impose a moratorium on nuclear missile tests. William Keylor, an international relations professor and author of A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945, offers the following comment:

“Once again, the North Korean strongman dangles the possibility of reopening negotiations over his country’s nuclear program in order to obtain foreign economic assistance for his shattered economy. Long after the U.S. and its allies in the region provided such aid, only to see the North’s nuclear program resume, Russia now becomes the object of this charade.”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/24/n-korean-nuclear-moratorium/feed/0Weekly roundup of quotes by BU experts: July 31 – August 5http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/05/weekly-roundup-of-quotes-by-bu-experts-july-31-august-5/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/05/weekly-roundup-of-quotes-by-bu-experts-july-31-august-5/#commentsFri, 05 Aug 2011 21:33:19 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=2382Below is a sampling of quotes by Boston University experts for July 31 – August 5:

Afghanistan is broke, US drowning in debt – so what about a war ceiling? (EconomyWatch): “The total cost of war, the longest in American history and one that was paid for by borrowing rather than by increased taxation, should not be measured solely by the costs of financing the troops and the extensive aid programs administered by the State Department. It should also include long-term costs of the war, primarily veterans’ benefits for returning soldiers, who will require medical and mental health services for many years to come. Long after the last troops depart from the country, that hidden part of the bill will come due.” William Keylor, Professor of International Relations, College of Arts & Sciences

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/08/05/weekly-roundup-of-quotes-by-bu-experts-july-31-august-5/feed/0Arab League supports Palestinian bid for UN recognitionhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/07/14/arab-league-supports-palestinian-bid-for-un-recognition/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/07/14/arab-league-supports-palestinian-bid-for-un-recognition/#commentsThu, 14 Jul 2011 18:45:32 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=2117The Arab League said it will support a bid by Palestine to seek full membership in the United Nations later this fall. The move to statehood is opposed by Israel, the United States, as well as some countries in the European Union. It is believed that such a move will set up a confrontation with the U.S. in the U.N. Security Council. Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” offers the following comment:

“If the Arab League resolution is introduced in the Security Council, the U.S. will probably veto it with a ‘no’ vote in deference to the concerns of its close ally Israel. Of the other permanent members, China and Russia will probably vote in the affirmative.

“Britain and France are the ones that would be put on the spot. Both are close allies of the United States, both in NATO and in the war on terrorism. But both also have a strong interest in preserving good relations with the Arab world.

“If both Britain and France vote ‘no,’ it will highlight Washington’s isolation on the Security Council concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/07/14/arab-league-supports-palestinian-bid-for-un-recognition/feed/0President Obama to speak to nation on troop withdrawal from Afghanistanhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/22/president-obama-to-speak-to-nation-on-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/22/president-obama-to-speak-to-nation-on-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/#commentsWed, 22 Jun 2011 14:50:50 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=1861The following Boston University experts are available to offer commentary, analysis and insight into tonight’s prime-time speech by President Obama on troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

Charles Dunbar is a professor of international relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen. He can be reached at 617-353-5633, cfdunbar@bu.edu

Tom Whalen is an associate professor of Social Sciences. He is an expert on modern American politics and the American presidency. He is a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-4785, tjw64@bu.edu

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/22/president-obama-to-speak-to-nation-on-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/feed/0President Obama’s Afghan drawdownhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/21/president-obamas-afghan-drawdown/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/21/president-obamas-afghan-drawdown/#commentsTue, 21 Jun 2011 17:53:15 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=1840President Barack Obama will unveil his plan for a withdrawal from Afghanistan in a prime-time speech to the nation on Wednesday. Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” offers the following comment:

“Withdrawing military forces at the end of wars in which the enemy has not been defeated is arguably the most difficult mission of all. The dangers of being attacked as the troops depart increases substantially.

“If violence escalates during the draw down, the White House may well be under pressure to hasten the timetable for pulling out altogether.

“This will probably be the greatest security policy challenge that Obama will face, all the more challenging since it will begin in the middle of an election year.”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/06/21/president-obamas-afghan-drawdown/feed/0French military ambitionhttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/04/06/french-military-ambition/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/04/06/french-military-ambition/#commentsWed, 06 Apr 2011 16:40:40 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=1123France finds itself involved in three conflicts around the world: Afghanistan, Libya, and the Ivory Coast. Boston University international relations professor William Keylor is the author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” and an authority on the history of modern France. He offers his view on France’s new found military ambition:

“During the Cold War, France periodically pushed for a European (and mainly French) military capability apart from the overwhelming military force of the United States. From Charles de Gaulle to Francois Mitterrand, various schemes were hatched to achieve this result. None of them amounted to anything.

“In the same period, France launched military interventions on numerous occasions in its former colonies in sub-Sahara Africa, defending proteges from domestic threats or ousting leaders who had lost favor with the former colonial power.

“Now, President Sarkozy seems intent on resurrecting this old policy of robust military interventions, this time for humanitarian reasons in partnerships with the United Nations. Unlike in the past, now Washington appears to be supportive of these independent French operations. And polls show that the French public is strongly supportive as well.

“But the big question is, where is the European Union and its much celebrated European Security and Defense Policy?”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/04/06/french-military-ambition/feed/0William Keylor comments on allies and Libyahttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/03/24/william-keylor-comments-on-allies-and-libya/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/03/24/william-keylor-comments-on-allies-and-libya/#commentsThu, 24 Mar 2011 12:57:20 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=855Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” offers the following historical perspective on the allied efforts in Libya:

“The Hobson’s choice Obama faces seems to be a simple one. Either run the operation unilaterally, and incur the resentment of Arab countries and the strong disapproval of many NATO allies, or try to preserve the broad coalition he has assembled which includes several Arab nations, in the face of divergent objectives pursued by its member states.

“Coalition warfare is always exceedingly difficult to manage, as Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin learned in World War II. But the alternative is a reversion to a U.S.-dominated unilateral operation as occurred in response to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo in the 1990s. The decision he makes is bound to have many unforseen consequences for the region.”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/03/24/william-keylor-comments-on-allies-and-libya/feed/0North and South Korea hold military talkshttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/02/08/north-and-south-korea-hold-military-talks/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/02/08/north-and-south-korea-hold-military-talks/#commentsTue, 08 Feb 2011 18:11:55 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=360Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” offers the following comments on the military talks being held by North and South Korea:

“With everyone’s attention focused on North Korea, wondering what its next provacative move will be, not enough attention has been devoted to South Korea’s internal political situation and its possible effect on the on-going drama on the penisula.

“President Lee Myung-bak’s government is the most conservative, nationalistic one in Seoul for quite some time. Both official and public opinion in South Korea seem to be moving toward a position of ‘enough is enough.’ Pyongyang’s tried-and-true strategy of increasing military tension on the peninsula as a means of extracting economic aid from the south, and then agreeing to talks to reduce the tension, may have run its course.

“The refusal of the North Korean negotiators at Panmunjom to apologize, or even acknowledge responsibility, for the sinking of a South Korean warship last March and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November, does not bode well for the success of this new round of talks.

“The question is, how long will South Korea — under pressure from what seems to be an increasingly angry public — be willing to receive these body blows to its national sovereignty and security without some kind of retaliatory response?”

]]>http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/02/08/north-and-south-korea-hold-military-talks/feed/0S. Korea , N. Korea to hold military talkshttp://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/01/20/s-korea-n-korea-to-hold-military-talks/
http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/2011/01/20/s-korea-n-korea-to-hold-military-talks/#commentsThu, 20 Jan 2011 19:54:35 +0000http://blogs.bu.edu/professorvoices/?p=64South Korea announced that they have agreed to hold military talks with North Korea. International Relations professors Michael Corgan and William Keylor offer their perspectives.

“First, much of what goes on in the North has to do with the pending succession crisis.

“Next, the South is trying very hard to assert itself, even against Japan, as a major actor in the region in the face of China’s growing prominence. This is one way to do it.

“Finally, a speculation: The North must be aware of how the U.S. and Israel teamed up to retard Iran’s nuclear weapons development. How are they fixed to handle such a cyber assault now? One surely must be in the works.”

“Since the early 1990s, North Korea used the threat of developing a nuclear capability to extract economic benefits from South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. This strategy of nuclear blackmail was actually quite successful for many years. Now, after suffering two attacks last year, South Korea is again willing to engage in negotiations.

“Based on previous experience, Pyongyang will demand extensive economic assistance, primarily heating oil but several other items as well. If it receives it, North Korea will lie low for a while and, when the economic situation continues to deteriorate, it will renew its belligerency in order to pressure its foreign suppliers to give more.

“If this nuclear blackmail fails to secure the needed aid, then it will up the ante, perhaps by testing another longer-range missile, or by conducting another nuclear test. This is a desparate government facing a looming succession crisis as well as economic conditions that would lead to a popular upheaval in practically every other country in the world.”